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Quiet War
The Quiet War was an undeclared and largely bloodless war that persisted for several decades at the start of the fifth century, following on from the end of the AQUA Civil War. Background In 399 Amber, Regina of the Jewelled Cities and Sagamore of Tar, was assassinated by Deceivers acting on the instruction of Tupelo Cornus, along with a number of her family members and political allies. In reprisal, Tupelo was killed by assassins sponsored by the rulers of Jarrland, Raaneka and the Triumvirate. Tupelo's death sparked a four-year civil war. The Children of Kina, and the Deceivers, attacked indpendent ship captains and Shamans of the Wild, believing them to have assisted in the marytring of their leader. This, in return, sparked a wave of reciprocal attacks. Three thousand soldiers perished, four thousand crews and ships lost, and well over eleven thousand civilians died. The rule of law was replaced with the rule of the sword. The elderly claimed it was as bad as the worst of the pirate days before unificaiton. In the end, Opus Petrichor, Verdo Collino, and Samhell Bellami Jr. formed a council of three. The Children of Kina held a majority faith in both regions. Minority faiths were allowed, with a tax. A huge monastary was started in Tar, to train people to control the winds. The Quiet War The Grant family and their allies were not defeated during the assassinations and following civil war. Verdo Collino remained an ally, if a quiet one. He understood his role was to keep Opus and Samhell fighting against one another. He used his training at the Guilder Institute for Clever Minds to control the treasury, allowing spending on harmless projects like the Aeromancer Academy. He cleverly maneuvered Junior Black into supporting his call to allow minorities of other religions into Tar and the Jeweled Cities. This, of course, incensed Opus. And so it went for the next three decades. The three children of Evelyn, Tarn, Firth and Martin, survived and regrouped, first in Genivana and then in Raaneka. They lost a strong ally when Anguri Adite was crushed under the statue of Tupelo she sought to topple. But the Adite family embraced them. It was only a few years before they began to put their plan in action. Signore Collino made an unapproved trip to Jarrland to attend a wedding, and returned with an armful of trade agreements. These agreements were carefully orchestrated by the Grants to stretch AQUAs resources away from religious activities. Tarn remained in Raaneka and eventually married into their royal family. He quietly funneled money and influence to those opposing the ruling Trio. In 417, Opus revealed that is aide, Fern Cascade, was actually his daughter. Political maneuvering by Signore Collino sent her off to Woodwind and Raaneka, where she encountered many who sided with the Grants. It also brought Hawkeye Grumby in as Collino’s aide, another direct affront to the Quill Opus Petrichor. Firth travelled widely, being the most visible and harmless of those still alive. He travelled widely, drank greatly, and was a legendary lover of women both noble and peasant. Rumors and stories of his exploits took the attention off of the rest of the Grant family’s maneuverings. Martin ingratiated himself first to Ambryn Jarrow, his cousin, then to Li Tailong, her eventual husband. More stories and tavern tales of his struggles abound. Tailong ascended to the Silver Throne of the Salterri Imperium. He granted Martin governorship of a Prefecture far from the Islands, ostensibly to protect him. Much of the future success of AQUA in Salterri lands was due to Martin’s influence. Slowly, the Grants built a coalition. The Free Alliance of Trading Ships was Tumberink Grumby’s contribution. Opus cared nothing for trade, and Junior Black wanted to rebuild the military into a raiding fleet. Tumberink gathered Salterri pirates and disaffected Islander merchants into a coalition to control shipping prices through force and guile. They were able to siphon off vast amounts of ‘legitimate’ funds hauling cargo or various projects. By 430, they were strong enough to negotiate deals with the Guilds of the Triumvirate right under the nose of the Trio. Huang Pei-Mei, a Salterri pirate, eventually married Tumberink. The Trio did their best to heal the wounds of the civil war. Their ’goat in every yard’ program was popular with the farmers. Traders grew rich and prosperous with the new trade agreements. The Sea of Glass was colonized. Despite her private objections, Fern Cascade was married to the Crown Prince of Celero, and eventually made Queen. Mutual defense with Celero was formalized. But always something was done to spoil Opus’ success. Placing John Lafitte’s longtime ally, Pierre Mason, as Triumvirate Governor of Woodwind was a triumph, spoiled by the appointing of Hawkeye Grumby as Captain Administrator of Emerald City. Fern’s marriage was a strong tie to Celero; ruined when she forced Opus to take one of Prince Rion’s bastard children as an aide, and then adopt him! Verdo Collino retired in 428, but Tumberink Grumby replaced him. Conclusion and Aftermath In 436, Opus attended the Second International Council in Propinlonge. The Council was attacked by Ridovo the Crazed. Opus was killed while struggling with one of Ridovo’s followers. The council was pressured by Queen Fern of Celero and Linden Flint of the Children of Kina to select someone outside of the rancor of the last decades. They chose Andus Fitzrion, seeing the young man as malleable to their desires. Andus, however, was not the lamb they thought he was. He was smart, and clever, and disarmingly handsome. He officially retired the titles Regent of the Jeweled Cities and Sagamore of Tar. They were remnants of the old ways, he concluded. He formed his own title, Skipper-General. This was a throw-back to the original nickname for Jonas Grumby, their founder. Following the death of King Athelmere, one of the Grants' most outspoken international supporters, his successor Alfmark had opened communications with John LaFitte, seeking to prepare for a possible reconciliation after the death of Opus. Opus's death only two years after Athelmere's allowed this process to take place much more quickly than expected. Both sides issued statements indicating mutual friendship and disavowing any state of war present or historic. Andus attended the First Tellurian Games as one of his first official acts, determined to be the visible presence of AQUA that Opus never was. There, he met Ginger Grant-Tremblor, the adopted daughter of Martin Grant-Tremblor. The two were married in 438.This reunion of the Grant family line and the leadership of the Jeweled Cities marked the end of the Quiet War. Category:Wars Category:History Category:History of Telluris Category:Wars on Telluris